What does your role as Quality Manager entail and how long have you been doing that job?
I’ve been a Quality Manager for 24 years. I was recruited by the LEBON Group after I graduated with a degree in Production Management and Organisation in June 1995. I immediately started as Quality Manager. Once the quality system was in place, I also joined the Purchasing and Procurement Department as an assistant.
The LEBON Group has had its ISO 9001 certification since 1997 and my job is to implement and steer the quality assurance system. Its objective is to keep our certification from an outside organisation. That means that I define the quality policy and implement and improve the company’s processes. To make sure the quality system is correctly managed, the management team and I set quantitative annual objectives in terms of product quality, logistics, the supply chain, administration, human resource management and trade. That may seem a little complicated but it’s an exciting role that requires patience and precision! For example, every day I track the quality indicators. I make sure that corrective and preventive actions are managed (in consultation with the departments concerned to improve the quality system and meet customer expectations and satisfaction standards). My mission is also to raise the awareness of employees about quality and inform them about the procedures implemented. I also really like carrying out internal audits and do them regularly.
Why is QSE proof of quality for a company?
The Quality Manager plays a decisive role in the company. They federate the staff around one corporate culture to improve efficiency and structure but most importantly to guarantee the quality and compliance of products. That is essential for the path the product will take on its way to being sold.
These other missions are, for example, taking part in the skills maintenance and development, achieving objectives set by the management team to balance our performance with customer and employee satisfaction – which is essential in any business!
Finally, the EN ISO 9001 certification is still today the best path to lasting quality in an organisation. It is the ultimate benchmark…
What has been your most satisfying moment at LEBON?
As Quality Manager, over the years I have been able to discover all the roles the company offers through writing procedures and that has greatly extended by knowledge and experience. In 1998, I also joined the company’s Purchasing Department which gave me a dual role in the company and showed me another side of the business. To date, I am proud to have been able to answer many questions and explain to new recruits the history of the company and contribute the company’s development.
I work a lot with the management team on statistics and status reports. My greatest satisfaction is that the management team has complete faith in me and empowers me in other roles such as the launch of GDPR or CSR for example in addition to my regular tasks.
What was the LEBON Group like in 1996?
The LEBON Group was founded in 1974 but following the digital revolution at the end of the 20th century, things rapidly accelerated. The purpose of my arrival at the LEBON Group (about twenty years after it was founded) was to implement a quality system in line with the EN ISO 9000 standard. There were 12 employees at the time: 7 in manufacturing, 3 in administration and 2 sales representatives. I remember that there was only 1 computer for processing purchase orders, sales invoices and accounts. Delivery notes and stock management were all done by hand. Customer proposals were typed on a typewriter! Things have changed a lot since then! The company developed and working methods became more and more digital.
How did the LEBON Group change when you arrived?
To comply with the ISO standard and after understanding the importance of continuous innovation, the LEBON Group invested a great deal in ERP/computers and also in 1996 in storage locations specific to each product, which led to the company receiving its first ISO 9002 certification in 1997.
In 2000, it was the opening of our first production factory in Kolkata in India which was a major moment for the group. We were all so impatient to be able to increase our production capacity whilst maintaining control over our own production chain. A second factory opened in 2008, again in Kolkata. Year on year, LEBON developed in France and took on new sales representatives and assistants to increase its customer portfolio.
2013 was a huge leap forward for the group because LEBON decided to attack the international market and set up offices for LEBON INTERNATIONAL in Luxembourg. In 2017, we opened a third factory in India. Today, the LEBON Group has 53 employees, 32 of whom are in France. The Indian production factories now have some 839 employees! Over 24 years with the LEBON Group, I have experienced the company’s development from top to bottom and met some great people. I hope the adventure continues…
How do you feel about working for the LEBON group?
I have been at the LEBON Group since 1996. I have always been very happy here. I love my job and the PPE sector is a specialisation for me! The atmosphere with colleagues is excellent. The management team is open and available and the overall team spirit is very dynamic and very professional. Our new premises in Montigny-en-Ostrevent have very comfortable work spaces with really lovely offices.